Gravity
by Louie0228
Summary: Following Violet's return Addison is left worried and confused about her future with Pete, she feels her own life is out of her control, with Naomi gone she turns to the only person she knows will understand.
1. Aftershocks

**Chapter One : Aftershocks.**

Addison drained the dregs of red wine into her glass and took a large swig before leaning back into the deck chair and closing her eyes. She tried not to think about it but she couldn't escape it; Violet was back.

She opened her eyes and looked at the tempestuous ocean casting its white fury onto the beach, she felt foolish and beaten – she should have known better than to believe she could be happy.

"Addison?" Sam's voice penetrated her thoughts. He had been watching her for the last twenty minutes, he had watched her pour her first glass of wine, he had watched her run her fingers through her hair and he had watched her stare into the night.

"Sam," she turned around to see him standing on his balcony. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know you've just drank your last bottle of red wine and long enough to know that you need another." He smiled and disappeared inside.

Addison laughed, she loved the way Sam understood her, he got her and he didn't judge her.

A few minutes later Sam appeared in her garden holding a bottle of wine and a blanket.

"It's getting a bit chilly out here." He said placing the open bottle of wine on the table next to Addison and giving her the blanket. He settled down on the chair next to her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes both looking into the distance and sipping their wine.

"You want to talk about it?" Sam said, still staring into the darkness.

Addison took a deep breath "Violet is back."

"Oh" was all Sam could manage.

"She turned up at Pete's house and…" Addison swallowed hard "she stood there and she looked..........she looked different, she looked better and I was standing there holding her child and……and I felt like a fraud, I felt like a fraud and a bad person and a….." Addison's voice began to break as her she tried hard not to cry.

"Hey," comforted Sam as he moved over onto Addison's chair, he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her "you're not a bad person."

Addison let him embrace her and she felt herself collapse into his arms, she put her head on his shoulder and started to sob. He held her closely and comforted her. He knew they shouldn't be this close, that their bodies shouldn't be touching, but in that moment she was his friend and he wanted to offer her the comfort and support that she needed. Addison inhaled deeply as she felt the soft flesh of Sam's neck against her cheek; she loved the way he smelt. She felt a shiver run down her back, she exhaled and sat up. She had to let out a silent groan as she sat up and their bodies parted, it felt so good to hold her: just to feel her next to him.

"I should…" said Addison pointing at the house, she had to remove herself from this situation, she thought of Naomi and she felt to the need to escape.

"Yeah, I should too," replied Sam getting up and turning towards his house "will you be ok?"

Addison nodded unconvincingly, she just wanted to get inside and fall apart, she wanted to go to bed and shut it all out.

* * *

The next morning Addison was woken by knocking at the front door. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at her alarm clock, 9:45, she hadn't slept so late in a long time. The knocking continued. Whoever was at the door wasn't going to go away, she slipped out of bed and padded downstairs to the door.

"Pete." she was shocked to see Pete standing in the doorway with Lucas propped on his hip. She stood staring at them.

"Well, are you going to let us in?" Pete cut through her thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry, come in…I….." she moved back to let them through and shut the door behind them.

Pete walked into the living room and set Lucas down on the rug to play before moving over to the sofa and sitting down. Addison sat at the other end of the sofa.

"You just ran off last night" Pete didn't really know where to start, he'd hardly had time to come to terms with Violet's reappearance himself.

"I know, I'm sorry, just Violet turning up like that, it threw me. I felt like an intruder Pete, stood there holding her baby, playing house with her family." Addison tried to explain herself to Pete but the truth was she hadn't even explained it to herself yet. All she knew was that she had felt the need to escape, to run away.

"It threw me too Addison but you can't just run away, you can't just leave me, leave Lucas." Pete's tone wasn't nasty but it indicated he expected more from her, that he was upset about what she had done.

"I'm sorry" she meant it, she loved Lucas and she cared about Pete, she hadn't meant to abandon them.

Pete moved closer to her and took her hand in his. "I need you, we need you."

Addison let out a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. He needed her. She thought that she and Pete were over, that after last night Pete would go back to Violet and forget about her. She wanted to believe that he needed her, that she meant something to Pete and Lucas but she knew that Violet changed everything. She knew that Pete was still in love with Violet and that there was a chance they could get back together.

Addison sighed, she needed Pete too, she needed him to make her feel sane, to make her happy and to make her forget.

"Did you speak with Violet?" she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer but she knew she had to ask.

"We talked but we didn't _talk_," explained Pete "she held Lucas and we made plans to meet today."

"Well that's good" Addison did her best to sound positive and convincing.

"She's going into the practice today to catch up with her patients so we've arranged lunch." Pete explained.


	2. Swans

**Chapter Two: Swans**

Addison sat staring at the computer screen, she had been set on keeping herself busy for the whole morning but with only one patient scheduled for 3pm she had spent the morning unsuccessfully trying to distract herself with paperwork and emails. It was times like this she missed Seattle Grace; there was always something happening there, there was always an emergency, a surgery, a crisis - one could spend days procrastinating and avoiding life within its walls.

When did her life become so messy? She was a happily married woman once, when she married Derek she believed it was real, she did love him and she did think they'd be together forever. She yearned now for the simplicity of that life – the start of that life anyway.

She looked at the clock, 11:00am, Pete was due to meet Violet at 12:00pm. She knew they were going to talk about the future, about Lucas, about her. She hated feeling so out of control, she was Addison Forbes Montgomery, word-renowned double board certified neonatal surgeon and OBGYN – she was used to being in control.

Her office door opened, letting the outside world into her caccoon of avoidance and denial. It was Pete and Lucas.

"You've been in here all morning." Pete smiled as he entered the room and sat on the sofa.

"I've been busy" Addison lied.

Pete looked at her with a knowing smile.

"Ok, I've been hiding" she admitted with a smile as she walked over to the sofa and took Lucas from Pete and placed a kiss on his forehead before holding him against her.

Pete leaned into Addison and they both kissed and cuddled Lucas as he bounced and gurgled on Addison's lap.

"Will you look after him at lunchtime?" Pete asked.

"At lunch time?" Addison asked a bit confused "erm, yes of course but I thought you were having lunch with Violet."

"I am," answered Pete as if the baby's absence from the lunch date was self explanatory "but we need to talk, we need to make arrangements about Lucas and I think it would be better if Lucas wasn't there, it will help us both to talk with clear minds and without distractions."

"Pete, she wants to see Lucas" Addison reminded him, she wasn't so sure that Pete's motives were as straight forward as he made out.

"I know and she will," replied Pete plainly – he had thought this through "but she can't just turn up and demand to see him and expect me to hand him over, he's my son too Addison, she left him, she didn't want to know him, she can't just expect to come waltzing into his life like nothing's happened."

Addison could hear the determination in Pete's voice and she knew it came from his love of Lucas; he just wanted to protect his son.

"She has been through a lot Pete" Addison said simply, she was scared of how Violet was about to change her life but as a women she felt protective of Violet's rights and feelings too.

"We all have." said Pete simply.

Addison had just settled Lucas into his car seat and covered the sleeping baby with a blanket when Sam came into her office. He had been meaning to come and see her all morning but he had been rushed off his feet, he wanted to see how she was after last night. He really wanted to try and be a good friend to Addison, before their feelings for each other had got in the way they were becoming good friends and he wanted that to continue, he had to have her in his life in some way. Besides, he felt guilty and responsible for the best friend she had lost, he knew he was no Naomi but he would try to be his own version of her best friend. He saw Lucas sound asleep and tip toed over to the sofa and quietly took a seat. Addison smiled at him, crossed the room and planted herself on the armchair next to Sam.

"I just wanted to check you are ok," whispered Sam "seems you have your hands full."

Addison smiled and looked over at the sleeping Lucas, "I'm just looking after him while Pete has lunch with Violet"

"Oh right," Sam answered he wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing "without Lucas?"

"Yeah, I thought it was a bit weird too," admitted Addison "but Pete just wants to get things straight with Violet, he wants to do the right thing and he feels they need time alone to decide what that is."

Sam looked at Addison as she spoke and he could see that she was worried, she tried to be confident, to talk as if the whole situation was uncomplicated and under control but he could see from looking at her that she was panicking and that she felt that everything was out of her control and he knew Addison well enough to know that she was the archetypal swan; calm, collected and graceful on the surface but paddling for dear life underneath.

All Sam knew was that he wanted to be with her, she was all he could think about and he knew that the feelings he had for her weren't going to go away. He sighed, how had this happened? He hadn't always been in love with her, he'd been in love with Naomi, he had built a life with Naomi and he didn't regret a single moment of that life, they had loved each other and they had created a beautiful daughter together. They were so young when they got married and they had grown so much during their marriage, become different people, better people and they had grown apart. It wasn't that he was a serial monogamist and it wasn't that he took marriage lightly but they had grown and they changed and they had fallen apart.

He was older now, wiser and more confident and he wanted Addison in his life, in every part of his life, he wanted to share her confidence, her triumphs, her friendship and he wanted to share her troubles, her vulnerability and her pain.

"Sam?" Addison was looking at Sam expecting an answer.

"What? Uh…sorry…I….what did you say" his thoughts had swamped his head and he'd missed what she was saying.

"I was just asking if you'd heard from Naomi, Pete said she's gone to Switzerland with William."

"No, I haven't heard from Naomi," he replied "I don't think I am likely to anytime soon either."

Addison sighed "Me neither."


	3. Avoidance

**Chapter Three: Avoidance. **

Pete ordered another beer, he rarely drank alone but he needed time to clear his mind, or rather numb it. His lunch with Violet had raked up feelings he had tried hard to bury and he didn't know how to deal with how he felt. He understood that she wanted to see Lucas and he was happy about that – he wanted her to be a part of Lucas' life but he didn't know if he wanted her to be a part of his life. Violet had seemed happier, brighter, she wasn't the same person that she was before she left or even the same person she was before she had Lucas, she seemed more in control, more stable.

They had spent most of lunch talking about Lucas and how he was developing, there was never any doubt over Violet seeing him and they decided she would take him that had both avoided talking about their relationship, if he was honest a part of him was angry with her, angry that she had left them after he had tried so hard to make them a family but she had turned to The Captain and that still hurt him.

As he sat alone he thought about what it had been like before Lucas was born, how they their relationship had started as something that had both needed and slowly developed into what they both wanted. They had both wanted the same things and being together had seemed effortless, he missed that, he missed 'them' but he didn't regret what he had done, he had to step up and put Lucas first because he was the only one who could.

Lucas; he was everything Pete thought he'd never have, after Anna he thought his chance to have a child had passed and he was ok with that but Lucas changed everything; he helped Pete to become a better person and he knew he would do anything to protect his son. As he sat thinking of Lucas he began to smile, why was he sitting here drinking alone when he had a family waiting for him at home, he knew Addison and Lucas would be at home now. He looked at his watch, Addison would be bathing him and getting him ready for bed. Pete put down his drink and left the bar, he wanted to be with is son where he belonged.

Pete parked his car and let himself into Addison's house. The living room was littered with toys and the debris of dinnertime.

He headed towards the stairs to find Addison and Lucas, crept slowly up the stairs incase Addison had already put Lucas to bed. As he approached the top of the stairs he could hear them in the bathroom, Addison was knelt beside the bath playing with a happy, bubble covered Lucas. Pete stood in the doorway watching them Lucas looked so happy, he stood and stared at the scene in front of him – that was his family and they were happy and they made him happy. Addison was so good with Lucas and that made him happy.

"Looks like fun" he smiled walking into the bathroom and kneeling down beside Addison, he kissed her in the cheek before bending down into the bath and kissing Lucas.

"Hello you," smiled Addison "we missed you"

"I missed you too" said Pete and he meant it – in a way he didn't even understand.

Addison felt as if she spent the rest of the week avoiding, avoiding Violet simply because she didn't know what to say, avoiding Sam because there was so much she wanted to say and avoiding the thought of her best friend hating her. She took on extra surgeries at the hospital and caught up on paperwork and by the end of the week she was looking forward to a quiet weekend. Violet was having Lucas and Pete was going on a fishing trip with Fife and Cooper – she planned to spend the weekend sleeping, shopping and drinking wine.


	4. Scratching the surface

**Chapter Four: Scratching the surface. **

Addison handed her card over to the young girl behind the desk, she may be rubbish at relationships but she certainly knew how to buy shoes. She had been shopping for over three hours and walked out of the shop laden with bags. There was nothing like a bit of retail therapy. She crossed the road, entered a department store and headed straight for the children's section. She was leafing through the racks of jumpers looking for something to go with the trousers she had picked out for Lucas.

"Auntie Addison" came an enthusiastic voice from behind the rail.

"Maya," smiled Addison as she enveloped her in a huge hug "how are you?" she asked looking down at Maya's slightly swollen stomach.

"I'm ok," smiled Maya rubbing her stomach "getting used to……"

Maya was interpreted by a heavily laden and confused looking Sam "I'm sure there wasn't this much choice when you were….." he stopped as he noticed Addison.

"Addison" he stated caught off guard by her presence.

"Sam," she smiled looking at him under the pile of baby clothes and nappies, when had he become so perfect? She silently chastised herself and returned her mind to the present. "you look busy Grandad" she smiled.

Sam looked coy and embarrassed, he shook his head "Granddad…yeah…..huh" he smiled, nobody had called him that and hearing it aloud seemed to make it real, he was going to be a granddad. "Where's Pete?" he asked changing the subject.

"He's away with Cooper and Fife and Violet is looking after Lucas so I was just taking the chance to get in a little shopping" she smiled.

"Auntie Addison you should come for dinner tonight" enthused Maya. Sam and Addison had forgotten she was there for a second and were caught off guard by her proposal.

"I….I…..can't…I" Addison searched for a reason to avoid the dinner.

"Please, I am staying with Dad tonight and you're on your own" she pleaded "Dad, tell her"

Addison looked to Sam to come up with a reason to excuse her from the dinner. Sam was lost, he could think of a million reasons why Addison shouldn't come round for dinner and they were the same reasons that made he smile and say "you're coming to dinner."

Addison was about to protest as her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller I.D; Violet. Addison looked at the phone and then at Sam "I'll be there" she smiled before leaving them and answering her phone.

"Violet, hi" she answered tentatively "Is everything ok?"

Violet was pacing her living room with a screaming Lucas in her arms; she bounced him up and down in an attempt to settle him.

"I'm sorry," came Violet's exasperated voice "I didn't know who else to call"

"Is it Lucas is he ok?" Addison was starting to get worried now she could hear Lucas screaming and Violet sounded flustered and desperate.

"He's ok, he's just…….he…..he won't stop crying, I can't get him to stop crying" Violet was almost on the verge of tears herself now.

"Ok, I'll be right over" said Addison simply and she put down the clothes she had in her arms and headed for the exit.

Ten minutes later Addison was outside Violet's house, as she approached the front door she could hear Lucas crying. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a dishevelled Violet and a screaming Lucas. Violet's eyes appealed to Addison as she let her into the house.

"I'm sorry he just won't stop, he's been crying for over half an hour and I…" sighed Violet handing Lucas to Addison.

Addison took Lucas and held him close to her, she shushed him and kissed him on the head. She rubbed his back and he leant his head into her shoulder and stopped crying.

Violet looked at them and slumped defeated onto the sofa. Addison saw Violet and was filled with sympathy, she had been there and she knew what Violet was going through.

She walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Violet, she placed Lucas on Violet's lap and handed him his favourite cuddly toy, she stroked his hand and Lucas was happy and content.

Violet sighed " I was a fool to think this would work, he doesn't know who I am"

"He will," assured Addison "he was the same with me at first but he'll get used to you, give him time."

"I've imagined this moment a hundred times, I never considered the possibility he'd already have a mom" Violet regretted what she'd said as soon as it left her mouth. "Addison I….I didn't mean that to sound…."

"It's ok Violet," Addison interrupted "I'm sorry you have come back to this, Pete and I, we're not out to hurt you. As for Lucas, you'll always be his mom, nothing will change that and no one will ever replace you."

"I just had this picture in my head of coming back and finding Pete and Lucas how I left them, that they'd be waiting for me, it never occurred to me that

they'd have moved on."

"_They _haven't moved on Violet, Pete has moved on but Lucas is still the same as when you left him, he's still your son and he still needs you." said Addison.

"I feel a fool for imagining he'd still want me after what I'd done to him, I had this crazy idea he'd be waiting for me with open arms. I've been in therapy and I've come to terms with what happened to me, what happened to us, to all three of us but it's still so real to him, so raw, to him I'm the woman who abandoned him and our child. The woman who was too selfish to put her family first."

"Violet that's not how he sees you, that's not how any of us see you. What you went through was horrific and none of us can imagine how that made you feel but you're a good mother, you did what was best for your child even if wasn't what was best for you – you put him first and that is what good mothers do." Addison could see the hurt in her eyes, she couldn't begin to understand what Violet had been through but she knew what it was like to love someone you'd hurt.

"I don't blame him for moving on Addison and we all know there has always been something between the two of you, you're good for him." Violet felt she needed to clear the air with Addison, to let her know that she didn't hold a grudge, that she knew she had to accept that Pete had chosen her.

Addison started to feel uncomfortable, it was obvious that Violet was still in love with Pete and she wasn't the right person to offer Violet a shoulder to cry on.

"You and Pete need to talk," said Addison honestly "You need to tell him how you feel not me"

Violet nodded. She knew she had to talk to Pete she just didn't want to hear what he had to say, she didn't want to rake up the past because she knew there was nothing she could say to excuse her behaviour. She knew her chance had gone and she knew she had to live with that.

Addison kissed Lucas on the head and stood up to leave.

"You're his mom Violet, you'll be fine."

Violet smiled and looked at the little boy on her lap, he was her son and she was always going to be there for him no matter what, she wasn't going to leave him again.

She looked up to thank Addison but she was already gone.


	5. Unable to stay, unwilling to leave

**Chapter Five : Unable to stay, unwilling to leave.**

Addison grabbed a bottle of wine and headed over to Sam's, when Maya had suggested the dinner she had wanted to avoid it but she and Sam were still friends, they were still work colleagues and they couldn't go on avoiding each other's company forever. They were just two old friends having dinner.

She walked through his garden, over to the French doors and let herself in.

Sam was standing at the counter preparing the food and Maya was sitting on a breakfast stool talking to him as he chopped, stirred and peeled.

"Sorry am I too early?" Addison asked as she crossed the kitchen to join Maya.

"Of course you're not" smiled Maya pulling a stool out for Addison "Dad and I were just talking about going on holiday, just a little trip before I'm too fat to fly."

Addison smiled, Maya had grown up so much in the past few months but when she was with Sam she knew she was still his little girl.

"I said we'd think about it" smiled Sam.

"Do you want to see what we bought today?" asked Maya jumping down from her chair "come upstairs and see."

Addison looked at Sam as if for his approval, she felt rude coming to his house and then leaving him alone.

"You two girls go and talk about shopping and babies and leave me to cook in peace," he smiled "I'll call you when it's done."

Addison and Maya disappeared upstairs leaving Sam alone in the kitchen.

An hour and a half later Sam, Addison and Maya were sitting on the patio feeling very happy and very full.

Sam reached over and poured Addison another glass of wine before topping up his own glass. He looked over, saw Maya's glass was empty and headed to the kitchen to get her some more juice.

"It's ok Dad," Maya stopped him, "I'm really tired after all that shopping I think I'm going to take a bath and go to bed."

"What? Are you feeling ok sweetheart?" asked a concerned Sam.

"Daddy I'm fine" smiled Maya "I'm just tired". She kissed her Dad and thanked him for the meal. She gave Addison a hug, said goodnight and headed into the house.

Sam sat back down and took a sip of wine.

"I still can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up" he remarked.

"She's a great girl Sam" Addison replied with a smile.

Sam smiled and nodded his head.

Addison looked down at her glass, she wanted to tell him about her day, about her chat with Violet but she wasn't sure if she was allowed, she wasn't sure about the rules of their friendship, was she allowed to tell him how she felt or were they just meant to stick to general topics like the weather and practice.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Nothing just….." she replied.

"Has it got something to do with the phone call that made you rush out the of shop this afternoon?" he asked, he knew he was being bold, asking her straight out like that but he could see that it was bothering her and he wanted to help.

"It was Violet," she answered "Lucas was crying and she couldn't settle him and I went round to help her"

"Oh right," that wasn't the answer Sam was expecting "how is she?"

"She's," Addison paused to consider her answer, she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to say it out loud "she's still in love with Pete."

"Oh." said Sam taking a sip of wine. He didn't know what to say, He wasn't sure he wanted to hear anymore but he could see that she needed to get it off her chest.

"She said she expected him to be waiting when she got back, that she thought they would be together; as a family." Addison continued.

"Addison I…." Sam started to search for something to say

"It's ok Sam," she stopped him "she's right, she's….." Addison took a sip of wine "It's just the way she talked about him, like she would do anything to turn back the clock and change what had happened, that she wanted to undo what she'd done and the way she hurt him but she was just doing what any good mother would do, she was protecting her child. She never meant to hurt Pete, Sam, she was just trying to do the right thing, she did the right thing and ended up alone, she ended up alone because of me."

She hadn't meant to pour all of this out but he was such a good listener and she felt so safe with him; he understood.

"Violet is not alone because of you Addison" Sam stated confidently.

"She's alone because I took her family. Pete and I we were never meant to be serious we were distractions we both knew that but then we decided to give it a go, not because we loved each other but because it eased the pain we were both feeling, we built a relationship on need. Cooper accused Pete of being a relationship wrecker but Pete's not the wrecker, I am, I'm a bad person and a worse friend." Tears were starting to well in her eyes now and she stood up and picked up the empty dinner plates as an excuse to go into the house and hide her tears.

Sam stood up at the same time and took the plates from her hands and put them back on the table, he took her wrists and pulled her into him until their bodies were touching.

"You're not a bad person" he said as he put his arms around her and held her.

Addison relaxed into his arms and rested her chin on his shoulder, she let out a long and unsteady sigh; it felt so good to be held. Sam gently moved his hands down to the small of her back and held her tightly. He wanted the moment to last all night, her scent was intoxicating and he wanted nothing more than to simply comfort and protect her. He moved his hands up her back and lightly rubbed her shoulders.

"Sam" her voice was almost a whisper now as she tried to control the feelings that were raging inside her but her voice still carried that air of caution and determination.

"I know," replied Sam inhaling deeply "I know."

He knew that he had to let her go, that she didn't want this, that they shouldn't be doing this. He held her for a second longer and then pulled his body away from hers. She leant her forehead against his and moved her arms to his shoulders. She stayed there for a second, teeth gritted, staring at the ground, not daring to make eye contact with him.

"Goodnight Sam." she whispered quickly before turning around and walking straight back to her house.


	6. Go with your heart

**Chapter Six: Go with your heart. **

The practice was unusually quiet for a Thursday afternoon and Addison, Cooper, Sheldon and Pete were having lunch in the kitchen.

"Where is Sam?" asked Cooper

"He's on a house call," replied Pete "he said he'd be back for tonight though."

"Tonight?" enquired Addison unable to disguise her curiosity.

"Boys' night out," Cooper replied simply "you girls have shopping we have beer."

Addison was about to pour herself a cup of coffee when her phone rang; it wasn't a number she recognised.

"Hello?" she answered unsure of who was going to be on the other end.

"Hello Addison"

"Naomi?" came Addison's puzzled voice.

There was a short silence between them before Naomi responded.

"I need your help," Naomi replied "can you come to Switzerland?"

"Of course I can," replied Addison, her answer didn't require any consideration "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Addison hung up the phone and turned to Pete, "that was Naomi, she wants me to go to Switzerland." She couldn't quite believe it herself; it felt so surreal.

"Then go." said Pete simply, he wanted Naomi and Addison to repair their friendship and he saw this as an opportunity for the pair to have some time away from the rest of the practice.

Addison immediately started to gather her things and head out the door.

"Oh but your boys' night out…." She began to say realising that with her out of town Pete would have to look after Lucas himself.

"Go," demanded Pete "don't worry about us."

Addison smiled at him "thanks" she said simply and fled the building.

The flight to Geneva seemed to take forever and Addison couldn't settle, what could Naomi want? Pete had not given her the full details about William and his reasons for leaving; just that he was ill and travelling for treatment. Naomi had called her, she said she needed her and she was going to be there for her, no matter what the situation, Naomi was her best friend and Addison felt she owed her all she asked for.

The plane finally touched down and Addison headed towards the arrivals lounge; Naomi was waiting for her. Naomi looked tired, she looked as if she hadn't slept properly for days, something was wrong.

"Nae" Addison greeted her with caution, she wasn't sure what reception she was going to get from Naomi; she knew she was still on dangerous ground.

"I've asked you here for a patient." Said Naomi plainly.

Addison felt a sharp pang in her chest, Naomi had asked her here as a doctor, as a colleague - not as a friend.

On the way to the hospital Naomi filled Addison in on the case, she reeled of the information in a cold, lifeless voice that told Addison this trip was purely professional and nothing else. Naomi wanted her to treat a pregnant woman who had been in a car accident, the patient was 25 weeks pregnant and needed extensive surgery in order to save her life. Naomi had bought Addison here to deliver the baby and give it the best chance at life she could. Naomi knew that Addison was the baby's best chance.

Addison didn't bother to ask how Naomi had got involved in this case, she was sure she wouldn't get a straight answer anyway, right now she wanted to focus on doing whatever she could for her patient.

Once they arrived at the hospital Naomi showed Addison to the patient's room and introduced them.

"Laura, this is Dr Montgomery, the doctor I was telling you about."

Addison looked down at the girl lying in the bed, she was in bad shape, Addison could see she had a broken leg, several deep lacerations to her head and an array of wires sprouting from her body.

The girl winced as she turned to look at Addison "You have to save my baby" she said in a half whisper.

"I can't promise I can save your baby Laura, but I'm certainly going to try" Addison reassured her as she scanned her medical chart.

"Dr Bennett, you're back" came a voice from the door.

Addison turned around to see a fair-haired girl enter the room with a cup of coffee. The girl stopped when she saw Addison in the room.

"Emily, this is Dr Montgomery," said Naomi introducing Addison "the doctor I said might be able to help Laura."

Emily put down her cup of coffee and went across the room to shake Addison's hand.

"Thank you so much for coming Dr Montgomery," Emily replied "this baby means so much to Laura, to both of us" she smiled as she looked over at Laura "please do all you can to save it."

"I'll try my best" replied Addison "there is some paperwork I need to fill in and then I'll come and do an examination and then we'll get Laura into an OR as soon as possible." Addison smiled at Emily and left the room.

After filling in the required paperwork and changing into a pair of scrubs Addison headed back to Laura's room to do an examination before the surgery.

As she entered the room Emily greeted her with a smile.

"I've just come to do Laura's examination." Addison smiled.

"Ok I'll just make a few phone calls" replied Emily getting up.

"You don't have to leave," smiled Addison "I mean I don't mind you being here if Laura wants…."

Emily cut her off "Oh no, I'm not too good with all this medical stuff." Emily smiled "makes me a bit queasy" she bent down and kissed Laura's head, assured her she would be back as soon as the exam was over and left the room.

Addison closed the blinds at the windows, put on a pair of gloves and pulled the ultrasound machine and a stool over to the side of the bed.

"Your girlfriend seems very supportive" Addison commented as she squeezed gel onto Laura's stomach before gently passing the transducer over the area.

"Emily isn't my girlfriend" Laura laughed.

"Oh I'm sorry," blushed Addison "I just assumed her being here….and you two…."

"Don't worry," smiled Laura "Emily and I have been through more than most couples have. We've been friends since high school, we've both got failed marriages and awkward families behind us but we've always been there for each other, she's my best friend and she's the only person I can imagine going through this with" Laura's smile was starting to fade.

"I'm almost done" said Addison trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

"I know I'm probably going to die," said Laura as if it were the most natural thing in the world to say. "the doctors have already told me that the damage to my lungs and heart is too severe to repair, these machines are keeping me alive at the moment but I am getting weaker, I can feel it, I'm going to die but my baby deserves a chance and that is why I want you to do everything you can to save it."

"Well I promise you I will do all I can," said Addison replacing the transducer to the side of the machine and wiping the gel from Laura's stomach "and once the baby is delivered there is going to be a team of doctors fighting to save you so that you can be with your baby."

Half an hour later Addison was in the scrub room washing her hands, she looked through the window at an unconscious Laura waiting for her on the table. She knew that the baby was vulnerable, at 25 weeks it was 15 weeks premature and only had a 50-70% chance of survival. Addison had delivered babies this young before and she knew that it was possible for them to survive but she also knew that the weeks and months following the birth were crucial. The baby would need round the clock medical attention, with under developed organs and a host the medical machinery attached to them micropreemies could often provide a horrifying and anxious introduction to parenthood.

The surgery required agonising concentration and precision and Addison felt a wave of relief as she placed the newborn into the waiting incubator and watched as it was rushed away to the ICU. As soon as she had finished closing Laura another team of doctors took over to try and repair the damage to her heart and lungs.

Addison went straight to the ICU to give directions for the baby's care. After prescribing several drugs and courses of treatment Addison stepped back and looked at the tiny baby before her. He was a beautiful baby boy, his delicate almost translucent skin looked so fresh and new. He had a long road ahead of him, a host of surgeries and a multitude of hurdles lay in his path and she hoped that he would be strong enough to overcome them. She looked at him and wondered what he was fighting for; he looked so innocent and untouched protected from a world that would inflict prejudice, hate and pessimism upon him. She wondered why they all fought to stay in a world full of so much unhappiness and she realised that it was the unhappiness and the pain that made the moments of happiness worthwhile. That the joy of life was finding someone who showed you how good the world could be despite its flaws.

"Addison" Naomi's voice shattered her thoughts.

Addison turned around to see Naomi and Emily, both dressed in surgical gowns, standing at the door to the ICU.

"He's doing well" said Addison.

Emily and Naomi joined Addison at the incubator, Emily's eyes were red and Naomi placed her hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the tiny baby.

"Laura didn't make it" Naomi informed Addison in a voice that failed to disguise her sadness.

"I'm sorry." said Addison touching Emily's shoulder.

Emily nodded acknowledging Addison's condolences.

"He's so small," Emily's voice was watery and unstable "He looks so fragile"

"He's got a hard time ahead of him," said Addison truthfully "but he's a fighter."

"Is there anyone we can call?" Naomi asked " Laura's mother? The father?"

"No," replied Emily "it was just us, it was always just us and now…….and now it's just me and him" she gestured towards the baby "I promised Laura I'd look after him, we promised each other that if….if anything happened…." She didn't need to say anymore Addison and Naomi understood.

"Well, he should get some rest now," Said Addison "and you look like you could do with some sleep too. We'll arrange for you to stay at the hospital tonight so that you can be with him."

Emily looked up at Addison and Naomi "thank you, both of you."

Addison and Naomi simply smiled and led her out of the ICU.

Addison felt exhausted as she stood in the surgeons lounge and changed out of her scrubs, she was always amazed at where her days took her, her life was wasn't boring that was for sure.

"I set Emily up with a room near the ICU" Naomi informed Addison as she stood at the back of the room.

Addison hadn't heard her come in and was surprised by the softened tone of her voice.

"Good," she nodded "she's got a lot ahead of her."

"Yeah," said Naomi walking a little further into the room "what she's done is admirable, to take on someone else's child is one thing but a child in need of so much care is a big responsibility."

"Laura is lucky," stated Addison as she collapsed onto a nearby sofa "to have a friend like Emily, to know her son will be taken care of, that he will be loved and that there will be someone there to tell him how much his Mom loved him."

Naomi sat beside Addison on the sofa, there was a moment of silence between the two of them, there was so much they wanted to say but neither of them had the energy for a fight.

Naomi felt tears well up in her eyes, she was so tired, she was tired of being scared about William and she was tired of being strong for him. She had dialled Addison's number so many times over the last few weeks, she needed to talk to someone who would put her first, but each time she stopped the call before it had time to connect; there were just too many things she couldn't face. She had to talk to someone and that someone had to be Addison.

"William is dying." she said suddenly, she couldn't control herself.

Addison was taken aback by the statement "What? Nae?" was all she could manage.

The tears were escaping from Naomi's eyes now "William is dying and I slept with Fife" she rambled "and I'm meant to be here looking after him, helping him and all I can think of is Fife and how I want to be with him."

Naomi couldn't hold back the tears any longer and her sobs were full of hurt and despair. Addison faltered for a second before leaning towards Naomi and taking her in her arms.

"It's ok," she whispered as she held Naomi and rubbed the length of her arm "It's ok."

After a few minutes Naomi's sobs become more controllable and she lifted her face and wiped her eyes.

"What should I do Addie?" she searched her friends face for guidance "I can't just leave William, I can't desert a dying man but Fife he……he makes me feel….different, happy, like anything is possible. I think…..I think I might be falling in love with him."

Addison looked at Naomi, she looked so hurt, so confused she hadn't seen her like this for a long time.

"You have to go with your heart Nae, you can't chose who you fall in love with, you never meant to hurt William but if you're in love with Fife then why kid yourself and William that anything else will work?"

Naomi was so glad she had told Addison, she knew she was right, in fact Naomi had thought the same thing but she needed her best friend to tell her she was right, to reassure her. She looked over at Addison, they had been through a lot together and Addison had always been there for her no matter how bad things got; even if Naomi didn't agree with her at the time she knew Addison had only ever tried to protect and help her.

"You always were good at giving advice," she said without looking at Addison "you should try following it sometime."

Addison was confused, what was Naomi trying to say?

Naomi took and deep breath "I know Sam loved me, that what we had wasn't a lie…."

"Nae…" Addison wasn't sure they were ready to talk about this; it had been a long day for both of them.

"and I know that neither of us regret our marriage," Naomi ignored Addison's protests, she wanted Addison to know how she felt "and we have a beautiful daughter to show for it but we grew apart because we grew up, we went different ways because we became different people and in the end it was like we didn't recognise each other. I knew he was going to move on at some point and I never imagined it would be with you but we all deserve to be happy Addison and there is nothing I want more than to see the two of the most important people in my life happy. I'm not saying I am used to the idea of you two yet but I want to be, I will try to be."

Addison looked at Naomi "thanks Nae…..thanks but I think Sam I missed our chance. I have Pete and……."

"Just go with your heart Addison." Naomi stated with a sense of surety and finality.


	7. Subsidence

**Chapter Seven: Subsidence.**

Addison rolled over to Pete's empty side of the bed and leant over into Lucas' cot.

"Morning soldier" she smiled down at Lucas as he looked up at her with a huge grin.

She got out of bed and lifted him out of his cot.

"Time for some breakfast" she said as she planted a soft kiss on his head and headed downstairs with him in her arms.

Just as Addison started to feed Lucas his breakfast Pete came downstairs "Morning" he smiled at Lucas before going to the fridge and taking out a bottle of water.

"Violet is coming for him at noon" Pete informed Addison without looking at her.

"Ok." responded Addison without taking her attention away from Lucas.

Pete walked over and stroked Lucas' hair before giving him a kiss on the head.

"I'm going to the gym," he informed Addison "then I might drop by the practice; Fife wants me to look over a protocol."

"Ok," replied Addison.

Without another word Pete grabbed his bag and left the house. Addison looked over at Lucas and smiled - he had no idea; right now he was reliant on everyone in his life but one day he would be the one being relied on and Addison felt a hint of sadness as she thought of the innocence that life destroyed.

Pete had been distant with her lately, they hardly spent anytime together and she felt as if the only thing keeping them together was Lucas and the fear of loneliness. After she returned from Switzerland he hadn't even asked her what had happened, he wasn't interested and she didn't feel like he had the time to listen to her.

He didn't have time to do anything with her anymore, they hadn't had sex in a while, any intimacy there had been between them had disappeared – they were like two friends living in the same house. She was losing him and she knew it but the thing that scared her most was her reluctance to stop it.

* * *

Addison skimmed over the file that was on her desk, she had been treating Sara for a while now and she knew that she was running out of options; at 15 Sara the youngest person Addison had ever treated for endometriosis. She knew surgery wasn't usually carried out on such a young sufferer but there weren't many young girls who suffered with the disease to the same extent as Sara did. After trying a variety of tablets and hormones Addison know it was time for her to go in and remove the adhesions that were causing Sara so much pain and discomfort.

"Addison," Dell interrupted as he stuck his head around her door "Sara and her Mom are here, they're waiting in reception."

"Thanks Dell, I'll be right there." She replied smoothing her dress and gathering up Sara's file.

She walked into the reception and greeted Sara and her mother, Mrs Welch, who were talking to Pete.

"Just come by my office if you need anymore information" Pete finished as Sara and her mother started to follow Addison into her office.

Addison led Sara and Mrs Welch into her office and motioned to them to take a seat before sitting in a chair opposite them.

"After looking at Sara's latest examination report I think the best course of treatment now will be laparoscopic removal of the adhesions," Addison began to explain "it is a very straight forward procedure and the stay in hospital would only be a day, two at the most."

Sara and Mrs Welch looked concerned "and it is the only option left?" Mrs Welch asked.

"Yes," said Addison truthfully "but it has a very high success rate and I have performed the procedure many times in the past."

"It's just that Sara is very young," Mrs Welch began "and Dr Wilder mentioned alternative options, acupuncture and…."

Addison figured that Pete was doing more than passing the time of day with her patient, what was he doing interfering with her patient, he didn't even work at the practice.

"The alternatives Dr Wilder mentioned have been shown to lessen the affects of endometriosis but they don't tackle the problem like surgery would." Addison stated.

"If it's all the same to you Dr Montgomery we'd like to hear more about the treatments Dr Wilder mentioned before we make a decision" said Mrs Welch politely, she didn't want to offend Addison after all she had done for Sara; she was just putting her daughter first.

Addison nodded, it was hard for her to stay professional at times like this, when someone questioned her clinical judgment, but she knew it was important not to blame Mrs Welch for Pete's unwelcome interference. "That's ok," she smiled "it's your choice, you need to do what is best for Sara."

The minute Addison flew into Pete's office she knew she should have given herself time to cool off but she was so angry with him that she couldn't stop herself.

"Addison," Pete was genuinely surprised to see her in his office "is Lucas ok?"

"You undermined me Pete." She stated.

Pete looked confused, he had no idea what had caused Addison so become so furious but he could see that she was less than happy with him.

"Sara Welch," she stated "my endometriosis patient"

"Ah" said Pete; everything made sense now, Addison was mad at him for offering her patient some advice.

"You had no right to get involved Pete, she's not your patient, she's not even a patient at your practice" Addison was becoming more irate by the second.

"I was just making her aware of the options Addison, she's young, I just thought she had the right to know there are other options." Pete defended himself, whatever he did in his personal life Pete only ever acted in the best interest of his patients and offering Sara his advice had never been meant as an attack on Addison.

"She's aware of the options Pete, I made her aware of the options but her options are running out."

"And so cutting is the answer" Pete said in a cold voice.

"Yes, on this occasion it is" Addison was determined now.

Pete half laughed "cutting isn't the answer to everything Addison" he spoke with an air of authority that bordered on arrogance.

"And neither are you Pete," spat Addison "you're not what everyone needs."

A silence fell between the pair. They both knew they were no longer talking about Sara.

Addison ran her fingers threw her hair in defeat and Pete let out a tired sigh.

"We need to talk." Said Pete without looking up.

Addison exhaled.

"I'll meet you after work?" Pete's voice had become softer now.

Addison stared straight at him with her hands still raking her hair back from her pain covered face, it was enough to tell him she'd be there; she was tired of fighting.


	8. Time to stop running

**Chapter Eight: Time to stop running.**

Pete took the shot of tequila from the barman and drained the contents of the glass into his mouth. He put the glass down and took a swig from the bottle of beer in front of him. He sat at the bar with a martini next to him; he had been to the rooftop bar many times with his friends and he and Addison had often found a space at the bar to share their problems but the atmosphere seemed different tonight and he knew it was because his world was about to shift.

Addison spotted Pete as soon as she entered the bar; she walked over and sat on the stool beside him.

"Hey," Pete's voice let her know that he wasn't here for a fight.

"Hi Pete" she replied as she swirled her drink with the cocktail stick that was leaning against the inner rim of the glass.

There was a moment of silence before Pete took a swig of his beer and said "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," replied Addison "I know you were only trying to help Sara, I just…."

"Not just about Sara, " Pete interrupted her "I'm sorry for the way I've treated you Addison, I've been a bad friend"

"Pete…no…" Addison sensed he was about to blame himself for all that had happened between them, for all that had gone wrong.

"You came to me as a friend and I was selfish, I asked you to love me, I tried to make you love me when I knew that you were in love with Sam. I was scared and when we were together it made everything seem……it made Violet seem less real, as if by creating a world between us I could shut out the real one." Pete continued, she had to hear what he'd bought her here tell her.

"Pete," Addison shook her head as she looked down at her drink "I was running away too, I was as scared of being alone as you were, loneliness; it forces us to make choices and they're not always the right ones."

"You're not alone Addison, you'll never be alone, you have people who love you" Pete reassured her "you just have to let them in.

Addison took a sip of her drink, she knew he was right; she had people in her life who loved her, she was just too afraid to let them. She was scared, she was scared of what was real, she was scared to let anyone love her and so she avoided it.

Addison let out a tired sigh "How did we get here Pete?"

Pete shook his head "Life happened."

"What about you and Violet?" asked Addison "do you think you two can…"

"I don't know, " said Pete "at the moment I just want to concentrate on Lucas and see what happens with Violet, she's been through a lot, she needs time."

"And you and Sam?" he enquired.

Addison ran her finger around the edge of her glass as she searched for an answer "I don't know Pete, Sam, he's….he's a good person too good to……"

Pete sensed that she was searching for a reason to run from Sam, a reason to avoid the happiness she so badly wanted but was scared to embrace.

"He loves you Addison, anyone can see that and you know Naomi is well…..she's Naomi and whatever she does she still loves you, both of you, and I know she'd only want to see you both happy, just give her time."

Addison swallowed hard, she knew it was time for her to grow up and stop running; Sam loved her and it terrified her because she loved him too and after tonight there was nothing standing between them, no betrayed best friends, no angry ex wives and no Pete – just her and Sam and the opportunity to do what they both knew was right.

Pete covered her hand with his as it rested on the bar "I love you" he said simply.

"I love you too Pete" she replied as her eyes filled with tears of sadness and relief.

As she drove home Addison thought about what Naomi had said to her in Switzerland. 'Go with you heart'. She took a deep breath and headed towards Sam's house.

She turned off the engine and looked up at his house, she could just pull onto her own drive and leave this until tomorrow, she had only just split up with Pete and maybe a little time and space to think would be better than throwing herself into this. She silently chastised herself, she was doing this, she wasn't running anymore she was growing up and she was going with what her heart told her was right.

She unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed her bag and did something she had never done before; she walked up to Sam's front door and rang the bell.

It seemed like a lifetime before Addison heard Sam approaching the door, she smoothed down her dress and ran her fingers through her hair, there was still time to turn back, to run over to her own house, he'd just think it was kids.

"Addison?" Sam's sleepy voice put an end to her escape plans. He rubbed his eyes as he started at her with a look of shock and confusion.

"Hello Sam." She said looking directly at him for the first time in months.


	9. Falling

**Chapter Nine: Falling**

Sam moved aside to let Addison into the house, his sleep numbed mind hadn't gotten round to considering why she might be at his door in the middle of the night but he could see that it wasn't something that could be resolved on the door step.

As Sam went to the fridge to fetch a cold drink Addison took a deep breath and composed herself, she was going to do this; she was going to tell Sam that she loved him and that she wanted to give 'them' a chance.

"Sorry I…." Sam apologised rubbing the sleepy feeling from his eyes, he was trying to shake himself into the present. He took a deep cleansing breath "Is everything ok Addison, has something happened?"

"No Sam," she wasn't handling this very well "I came by to talk."

"It's a bit late for talking Addison," Sam said looking at his watch "are you sure this can't wait 'till morning?"

"No it I can't wait Sam I need to……" Addison was abruptly interrupted by Sam's house phone ringing.

"Sorry I….be right back" apologised Sam crossing the room and answering the phone.

Addison exhaled in exasperation, how could anyone other than her need to talk to him at this time of night – she needed to tell him before she lost her nerve.

"…ok, Addison is here with me now, we're on our way" Addison only caught the end of Sam's conversation but she could tell that something serious was happening.

"Its Maya, she is on her way to the hospital." Sam informed her as he flitted around the room pulling on a jumper and collecting his car keys.

"Maya? What's happened Sam, what is wrong?" Addison asked as she too readied herself to leave.

"I don't know….I…pain or something…..I…." Sam started to stutter as she tried to recall the phone conversation.

"Never mind now Sam let's just get to the hospital." said Addison as she headed towards the door.

Sam and Addison arrived at St Ambrose in time to meet Maya as she was wheeled out of the ambulance. Sam immediately ran to his daughter's side. Maya looked at her him from behind her oxygen mask.

"Daddy…" she croaked as the tears ran freely down her cheeks.

"Shh shh," comforted Sam "I'm here now, there's no need to worry, just stay calm Maya."

Addison listened intently as the paramedics filled her in on what they had discovered so far.

"Patient is complaining of severe abdominal pain accompanied by excessive vaginal bleeding. There are no immediate signs of trauma. She has been on oxygen since we arrived at the scene."

Addison joined the gurney as Maya was pushed into the hospital

"Ok, I need to you run a full set of labs and have an OR on standby" Addison informed a waiting nurse.

"Ok Maya," Addison soothed when she finally got the chance to address her "don't worry I'm going to find out what is happening and then I'm going to do the best I can to fix it ok?"

Maya nodded at Addison with a look of terror and anxiety on her face. "Where's my dad?" Maya asked

"I'm here Maya, I'm right here," Sam assured her as he appeared at her side and took hold of her hand.

"Dad I'm scared" Maya was trying hard to stay calm but she couldn't disguise the sheer terror she was feeling.

"I know you are, but you're in good hands, Addison is going to do everything she can to help you." Sam replied.

As Sam looked down at his daughter he saw his little girl for the first time in months. Maya had grown up so fast and sometimes he wished he could turn back time and see her enjoy the carefree days of her childhood again. As she lay scared and unsure he wanted nothing more than for her to be better, it didn't matter what had happened in the past, all that mattered was what was happening now. He was proud of Maya, she had made a mistake but she was strong enough to do what she thought was right.

"Sam I need to examine Maya now so maybe you want to step outside for a second?" Addison urged Sam softly.

"Yeah sure," Sam replied before bending down and kissing Maya on the head "I'll be right outside, I'll call your mother."

Sam dialled Naomi's number. No answer. He was angry how could she ignore her phone knowing that she'd left her pregnant teenage daughter at home, she maybe be off jet setting with William but Maya needed her. He tried again in the hope that she was struggling to locate her phone in the bottom of her bag. No answer. He left her a message and then slammed his phone shut in anger and jammed it into his pocket.

"Mr Bennet," Dink's breathless voice broke Sam's thoughts "I got here as quick as I could I……Where is she?"

"Addison is examining her now." Sam replied.

"What happened I….."

Dink was interrupted by Addison entering the hallway. Sam and Dink both turned to look at her their eyes willing her to give them good news.

"She's showing signs of placental abruption, the placenta has become separated from the uterus and she has lost a lot of blood." Addison could see that the two men in front her of her were in shock. "The baby is in distress; I need to deliver the baby as soon as possible, the OR is prepped."

Dink looked scared and confused "but she's going to be ok? The baby is going to be ok?"

"I'm going to do everything I can Dink, I promise" Addison reassured Dink and took off without another word; she didn't have time to waste.

Sam was impatiently pacing the hallway when a flustered Naomi exploded into the waiting room.

"Sam I got here as quickly as I could, where is she I need to see her…" Naomi fired questions at Sam without giving him the time to answer them.

"She's in surgery" Sam stated, he still hadn't forgiven Naomi for not being there when their daughter needed her. "Addison is delivering the baby"

Naomi gasped as she realised the seriousness of the situation.

"Placental abruption" Sam informed her

"But how?" questioned Naomi. "Did she fall?" she asked looking at Dink.

"No she….I was out I….I called her a few times and she said everything was fine" Dink tried to make sense of what had happened but the more he thought about it the more confused he became. How could this have happened?

"You mean to tell me you left my heavily pregnant daughter, your heavily pregnant wife home alone whilst you were out…..out what? Drinking with your friends? Messing about with……" Naomi was furious and Dink was feeling the brunt of it.

"Naomi" Sam warned.

"No Sam, I want to know I want to know what he was doing that was more important than….." Naomi wasn't going to let it drop, someone was to blame for what happened to Maya and she was sure it was Dink.

"I was out working," Dink said quietly "I got a job in a bar to help pay for the baby…"

"A job?" Naomi was becoming more confused "We've been giving you money for the past eight months Dink."

"I know and we couldn't cope without it but I just….I wanted to help, I wanted to help my family, I wanted to be a man, a dad."

Naomi was silent.

"No one is to blame Nae" Sam said guiding her to a chair "it doesn't matter what happened or how it happened all that matters is that our daughter and grandchild are ok"

Naomi nodded as she acknowledged Sam's word, she knew he was right; Maya and the baby were all that mattered.

Addison had never felt so pressured, she had to get this right, she had to save this baby and she had to save Maya, she took a deep breath "Scalpel" she said as she held out her hand.

* * *

Addison leant against the cold scrub room wall. She was a world class surgeon and she had preformed thousands of life saving surgeries but none of them had been has difficult and as exhausting as the one she'd just performed on Maya. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to face Sam, she owed it to him to go straight to him and tell him the news before he heard it from someone else.

Naomi, Sam and Dink all stood up as Addison emerged through the double doors at the end of the corridor. Addison looked up to see them staring at her like hungry vultures, she'd done this a hundred times – speaking to relatives and giving them news but it was different this time, it was Sam and Naomi, her best friend and….and Sam.

"Addie?" Naomi's voice was hoarse.

"The surgery went well, Maya is still weak and she'll need to stay in hospital for a while so that we can keep an eye on her."

"and the baby" Sam asked before Addison could continue.

Addison felt tears well in her eyes "He's beautiful" she managed with smile.

Naomi let out a scream of relief as the words left Addison's lips.

"We want to keep an eye on him for a few days but he's going to be fine." Addison elaborated.

"Thank you," Naomi cried as she threw her arms around Addison "thank you."

"Can I see him?" Dink asked, eager to his son.

"Of course you can" said Addison motioning for them to follow her.

"Thought you might need this" said Sam as he approached Naomi with a cup of steaming coffee.

"That's our grandson in there" she smiled as she took the coffee from Sam and pointed beyond the glass and into the nursery where Dink and Maya were enjoying their first meeting with their new baby.

"Yeah," Sam replied in a half laugh "our Grandson."

"Look Sam, I know things haven't turned out the way we planned with us and with Maya but we're good parents, we raised her to be her own person and….." Naomi wanted to mend things with Sam, being at the hospital, facing the threat of losing Maya made her realise how unpredictable life is, how you can plan for things, you can hope for things but in the end you just have to deal with what life throws at you.

"We did good," Sam smiled rubbing Naomi's shoulder "we did good."

Naomi felt Sam's words and she knew that no matter what happened between them, no matter who they loved they were always tied to each other and that they were going to need each other.

"and I'm glad" she smiled "for you and Addison, I hope you're both happy and….."

"Me and Addison?" questioned Sam a little surprised "there is no me and Addison she…"

Naomi looked confused "but I thought that, after she came to Switzerland, after we spoke, she…"

"You spoke?" this was the first Sam had heard about this

"She didn't tell you?" Naomi was getting more confused as the conversation went on, she was sure she'd come back and find Addie and Sam together "When she came to Switzerland we spoke about you and her, about the two of you together. I told her that I would try to be ok with you two being together, that she should stop running from you and tell you how she feels."

"How she feels?" Sam wasn't sure where this was going.

Naomi let a small laugh escape from her lips; Sam always was hopeless at getting the girl "she's in love with you Sam."

Sam was about to press Naomi on the issue when the nursery door opened and Dink appeared.

"Maya wants to know if you're going to stand there gawping all day or come in and see your grandson" he smiled.

Naomi and Sam turned their attention away from their conversation and focused on Dink, they both stepped forward to enter the room.

"Only two people are allowed in at once, one of you will….." Dink began

"It's ok you go" Sam smiled at Naomi

"Sam are you sure I…." Naomi half protested

"Go" Sam smiled "go meet your grandson."

Naomi entered the room and went straight over to Maya and the baby. Sam watched through the glass as they embraced and Naomi leant over the baby. Eight months ago he couldn't see this moment, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to see his baby girl holding her own child but right now, with Naomi standing beside her it looked like the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

Sam found Addison in the doctors lounge, she was lying on the sofa with her head leant against the arm. She looked exhausted. He quietly entered the room and approached her, without saying a word he carefully climbed onto the couch and slid his body behind hers so that she was resting against him. To his surprise she didn't resist him, she let out a tired sigh as she moved her body into his and rested her back against his chest. He slowly moved his hands to her shoulders and began to massage her them. After a few moments he felt ready to break the silence.

"Why didn't you tell me about what Naomi said in Switzerland?" he asked

Addison winced as she realised that this was the moment; that she couldn't run any longer.

"I was still with Pete, I…..I couldn't….." Addison searched for the words to describe the way she felt, that she couldn't cheat on Pete, that even though things weren't going well she didn't want to be that person again.

"and now?" Sam asked

"and now I'm not with Pete and….." Addison faltered.

"and?" Sam asked still massaging her shoulders, he was pretty sure he knew how Addison felt but he had to hear her say it, after months of hiding their feelings he had to hear her say it.

"and now I want to be with you but I'm scared Sam" she finally admitted "I'm scared that I'll push you away like I always push people away, like I pushed Derek away and Mark and Kevin….."

Sam slowly moved his hand and ran it over her shoulder and down her upper arm before resting it halfway between her shoulder and elbow.

"I'm not going to let you push me away Addison," he assured her. She leant her head back and turned it to face him "I'm not going to let you push me away because I love you."

Addison felt her heart leap as the words left his mouth, she took a deep breath, "I love you too Sam."

She felt a surge of relief and happiness, they had finally said it, it was out in the open and so was all the pain and happiness that went with it. Sam bent his head nearer to hers and before she could react his lips touched hers with a warmth and intensity that she hadn't felt in their previous kisses, a warmth that spread through her body as she responded to his kiss and ran her fingers up his neck.

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story, it is always really nice to hear what people think about your work as you write. I'm sure I haven't pleased everyone with the ending but I know some of you will be happy. **

**Let me know what you all think of the possibility of a sequel and any ideas you have, it's always good to know what people want to read. **

**Thanks,**

**Louise.  
**


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